


The Scars Of Love And War

by NKXanP



Series: The Scars of Love and War [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gizmo shows up in a flashback, Infinite dies for like 3 days in-universe, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NKXanP/pseuds/NKXanP
Summary: Memories. That's all Gadget and Infinite have of each other, after Infinite died following the war. Neither particularly wants to remember, but they both don't want to forget.Infinite gets a second chance at life, given to him by a bored kitsune with nothing better to do. He's horribly injured, but he should survive, given the right care.Can anything come between their love, for a second time?
Relationships: Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces)/Infinite (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Series: The Scars of Love and War [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823839
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

Gadget tossed and turned in his bed. He had expected the night after the final battle with the Eggman Empire to be restful, but all he could think of were memories: memories he had tried hard to forget, but they fought their way to the surface in his dreams. He sighed, as he recognized the 3 main memories in the middle of the menagerie...

* * *

_8 months prior..._

Hill Top had always been a rough place. Apart from the main trail (made famous by Sonic's journey there when he was younger on his way to defeating Eggman and destroying the original Death Egg), the other parts of the village (the parts where people lived, as it were) were dangerous. Sure, most of the people living there were rich enough to afford houses outside of urban areas, but that just made them obvious targets for robberies.

Speaking of robberies, Gadget could hear the smashing of windows outside. Whenever these crime sprees happened, it was always wise to just let the robbers take what they wanted. After all, since most of these people were rich, anything that was stolen could simply be replaced. However, after making sure Gizmo, his younger brother, was okay, Gadget snuck downstairs to see if anybody was coming.

To his surprise, he saw a black and white jackal rummaging through his cupboards. As the jackal turned around to pick up anything he missed, Gadget could see the jackal had mismatched blue and yellow eyes. This visual would never leave Gadget's mind, no matter how long he tried to forget it, and it would come to help him later on.

However, snapping Gadget out of his study of the jackal's features, the latter picked up a box which, Gadget knew, contained a family heirloom. A television can be replaced. A radio can be replaced. But a family heirloom? No way.

Gadget grabbed the broom by the stairs and sprung into action, batting the jackal with the broom. At first, the intruder was caught off-guard, but Gadget wasn't prepared for what came next. The jackal braced himself, and on Gadget's next swing...

The jackal swung his sword with such might that he cut the broomstick in half. Now, it was Gadget's turn to be on the defensive. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that, and he decided to keep attacking with his now de-broomed stick.

It wasn't even close. Within a few seconds, the jackal had Gadget knocked to the floor, with his sword to the wolf's neck. At first, Gadget thought this would truly be how he died: attacking somebody who was trying to steal a family heirloom. However, the jackal did something that confused Gadget.

He smirked and picked up the box. "You want to keep it **that** badly?" The box was unceremoniously tossed onto Gadget's chest. "Fine. Keep it."

The jackal ran away with the rest of the things he had stolen, and disappeared into the night.

Gadget sighed a sigh of relief. Sure, the bandit had made off with the TV, the toaster, and the radio, but the prized family heirloom was safe. He put it back in its original spot, and went back upstairs to check on his little brother, who was no doubt terrified.

* * *

Of course, that wasn't the only memory included. He shuddered; he wanted to keep this memory stored away in the depths of his mind, but his subconscious had other plans.

* * *

_3 months prior..._

It was late. There were no landmarks Gadget could recognize. He was lost, although he couldn't bring himself to admit it.

The Empire had attacked a coastal town that morning. The Resistance had mobilized quickly enough to save most of the town, and even begin to push the Empire back. Gadget got into some close scrapes with some of the badniks, but with his wispon at hand, he easily dispatched them. Of course, then Infinite had shown up, throwing the Resistance army into disarray, and sending them scattering every which way.

Obviously, in the course of scattering every which way, Gadget must have went the wrong way, and he was now lost in what appeared to be an old part of town. A few destroyed buildings could be seen here and there, but it was mostly untouched by war.

Eventually, he found a building that resembled his apartment building back home. He shrugged, thinking that at the very least, he'd have a place to rest until the morning. Unbeknownst to him, the building was actually currently occupied by a certain villain who happened to be relaxing on his balcony at the time.

Gadget stumbled up the stairs, and opened the door. He was stumbling over to the couch when he heard someone yell in surprise. The voice, in particular, made him shudder in fear.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?!"

Of course, of all of the bad things that could have happened to Gadget in his current state, scraped and bruised and tired, "accidentally stumbling into your enemy's house" had to top the list. "...Wait, this is _your_ house?"

The jackal facepalmed (or, at least, he would have facepalmed had he not been wearing a mask). "Do you even know where you are?"

Gadget looked around sheepishly. "Apart from the fact that I'm in your house?" He shrugged. "No, not really."

The jackal shook his head. "Yes, this is my house. How did you get here?"

Gadget, again, looked around sheepishly. "Well, when you attacked the Resistance, we all scattered. I kept running until I found something that looked like my apartment building back near Sunset Heights."

The jackal couldn't even muster a shake of his head. "Well, this is my house, not your apartment. Not to mention, we aren't anywhere near Sunset Heights. So get out."

Gadget got up to walk away, only for Infinite to suddenly stop him. "Wha...?"

He didn't understand why Infinite was looking at him... with concern? "You're injured."

Gadget scoffed. "You could say that again. Anyways, I'll just be..." He started to walk away again, only to be stopped by Infinite, who (somehow) gently threw him back onto the couch. "What are you doing?"

"Let me help you." Infinite got a first aid kit (why he had one, Gadget didn't know) and got out a sterile alcohol pad. "Hold still." He went to rub it on a cut, but missed Gadget's head by a few inches. "Ugh... stupid mask, taking away my depth perception." He then pressed a button under his chin, and off came the mask.

Gadget gasped in surprise. Staring right back at him were 2 mismatched eyes, one blue and one yellow. Was Infinite really the bandit from 5 months before? Yet, the face seemed to hide a sadness. What could he be so sad about?

His thinking was interrupted by Infinite clearing his throat. "Are you done staring?"

Gadget blinked twice. "Oh, sorry, you just reminded me of someone..." The voice even seemed the same, now that the mask wasn't modulating it anymore.

Infinite looked back at him, trying to remember where he saw Gadget's face from.

Gadget decided to help him. "I hit you with a broom? Five months ago?"

Infinite smirked. "Oh, yeah, and I almost killed you for it. Now hold still."

Apart from the stinging of the alcohol pad on his cuts and bruises, Gadget almost went numb. He had never thought of it before, but the jackal kinda looked... cute? Like, obviously he looked like he could kill you in one swipe, but that somehow wasn't so offputting?

"Turn your head to the left."

Gadget complied. He wasn't sure if it was because of the war, and the touch-starved feeling he was feeling because of it, or if he genuinely felt that way.

"Turn your head to the right now."

He complied. After thinking about it for a while, he decided it was a mixture of both. Yes, the jackal was cute regardless, but the feelings were amplified by how touch-starved he was. As Infinite took some gauze pads from the first-aid kit, Gadget suddenly felt embarrassed. Was he really catching feelings for his enemy? Yeah, sure, Infinite might be cute and all, but he kidnapped Sonic! He steals things! He's not good! But as Infinite started to bandage Gadget's face, Gadget realized that he truly was falling for the jackal. But was Infinite falling for him?

After Infinite finished bandaging Gadget's face, his hand lingered. "There. All patched up." His hand continued to caress Gadget's face, not that Gadget was complaining. Blue and yellow met orange, and they held that stare for a while.

Looking back on it, it was only about a minute and a half, although it had felt like forever in the moment. Either way, it came to an abrupt end with Infinite suddenly pulling Gadget into a deep kiss. Thoughts immediately began to flash through Gadget's mind. This whole thing, it felt so wrong, and yet, at the same time, it felt right? Like, clearly this wasn't something that was supposed to happen, but Gadget supposed that neither him nor Infinite were worse off for it. Either way, he decided to return the kiss.

It was a deep, loving, and passionate kiss, lasting maybe four to five hours, with only occasional scattered small breaks for air in the middle. While each of them let their hands wander over the other, it didn't go any further than kissing. First, Gadget was on top, by virtue of Infinite pulling him into the kiss, but after a while, Infinite was able to wrestle his way on top of Gadget. (If he noticed the intensified blush on the wolf's face, he didn't say anything about it.)

Infinite was the first to speak after the kiss was over. "I don't want to let go. I want to stay here like this forever."

Gadget looked to the side, trying to hide an obvious blush. "I mean, I'll have to go, eventually. But can we stay like this, just for tonight?"

Infinite smiled. "I'd like that. Very much." He hugged Gadget tight. He whispered into Gadget's shoulder. "By the way, I never caught your name."

Gadget could feel himself melting, but was able to gather himself enough to respond. "Gadget."

He could feel Infinite smile. "Gadget. It suits you."

They fell asleep like that, Infinite on top of Gadget, in a loving embrace.

_The next morning..._

Gadget awoke to the beeping of a communicator. He sighed. Of course, the fairytale had to end eventually, but Gadget wished it could have lasted longer. Infinite walked over to Gadget from what seemed to be the kitchen, handing him a bowl of what looked like potatoes and looking at the communicator quizzically. Gadget put a finger to his lips, signaling Infinite to be quiet. He then pressed a button on the communicator. "Go for Gadget?"

A brash voice, easily identifiable as hot-headed Resistance commander Knuckles the Echidna, rang through. "Gadget! Where have you been?"

Gadget sighed. "I got... lost."

Knuckles' voice quickly morphed into concern. "Do you need us to send someone to find you?"

Gadget didn't even need to look up from his potatoes to tell that Infinite was shaking his head "no" frantically. "No, I'm fine, I think I know where I am now."

Knuckles was still concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? Amy said you looked scraped up when-"

Gadget interrupted him. "It's been a while since I saw Amy. I'm fine now, I got all patched up." He knew Knuckles could talk his ear off, but he really wanted to spend a few more moments with Infinite. "I'll be back to the base in a bit."

Knuckles seemed unimpressed. "Gadget, you are not getting rid of me that easily-"

Another voice could be heard in the background. Gadget soon realized it was Silver. "Oh, leave him be. If he says he's patched up, I believe him."

"But- Oh, all right. Get back to base soon, Gadget." Gadget heard a small beep, indicating that Knuckles had hung up.

He sighed, putting the communicator down and finally eating his breakfast. It was really good, especially considering the circumstances. He looked up to see Infinite, still not talking. "He hung up, we're in the clear."

Infinite let out a sigh of relief. "Thank chaos. Is he usually that..."

"...annoying? Yes."

They shared a laugh as Gadget continued eating.

Soon, Gadget finished his breakfast, and was packing to leave for the Resistance base, when he noticed a small red rock sitting on the couch where he had been laying. Infinite beat him to it, holding it into the light to see what it was, before looking shocked. "So that's where that Phantom Ruby prototype went. I thought I was going crazy when I couldn't find it." He looked to Gadget, who (for his part) looked terrified, and snickered. "You haven't changed a bit in 5 months." He tossed the gem to the bewildered wolf. "Keep it. As long as you have it on you, nothing the Phantom Ruby can do will hurt you."

Gadget rubbed the back of his head. "I was thinking... what will we do when the war is over? Since, as much as I'd like to, I can't keep sneaking off to make out on your couch while there's a war going on outside."

Infinite paused. Gadget guessed the jackal hadn't actually accounted for that. Soon, his grin returned. " _When_ the Eggman Empire succeeds in taking over the world, I'll spare you. We'll live together, if you want."

Gadget shook his head. "And if the Empire fails, I'll do the same-"

Infinite shook his head, placing a hand on Gadget's shoulder. "I'm afraid that won't be your call to make."

Gadget looked the jackal in his blue and yellow eyes. "I'll do _everything in my power to do_ the same. Better?"

Infinite looked to the side. "Not really, but the sentiment was nice..."

Gadget's communicator started beeping again. Gadget swore under his breath, while Infinite gave him some space. He picked up the communicator. "Go for Gadget-"

It was Amy this time, definitely sweeter than Knuckles, but with the same ferocity. "Gadget! Are you okay? You seemed pretty scraped up when I saw you last-"

Gadget audibly sighed, causing Amy to stop talking. "I'm fine. As I told Knuckles, I'm all patched up now." _Thanks to Infinite_ , he said internally (taking care to make sure he didn't say it out loud). "I was just getting ready to head back to base."

"Alright! I'll talk to you more when you get here!" The small beep after her last sentence sounded more like a school bell in Gadget's mind.

He turned to the jackal, who was putting his mask back on. "See? They aren't _all_ as talkative as Knuckles!"

Infinite snickered. "Yeah, but she'll give you an earful when you get back to base." He put the mask back on. "Farewell! Dry sorrow drinks our blood."

Somehow, even something as poignant as a Shakespeare quote sounded menacing when put through the mask. Or maybe, Gadget was remembering what became of Verona's star-crossed lovers. Regardless, he shook those thoughts from his head and opened the door. "Farewell." He walked out, ready to head back to base.

* * *

Gadget shook his head, remembering what happened next all too well. Infinite was right; as soon as he got back in the base, Amy talked his ear off for 2 hours straight. Luckily, he was able to survive her monologuing by thinking more about Infinite while Amy droned on and on about proper protocol and how not to get lost (as if he'd remember that when he needed to).

Specifically, he had thought about what the jackal had said before he left: "I'm afraid that won't be your call to make." Of course, he didn't know it at the time, but Infinite had been torturing Sonic for... would it have been 3 months at that point? Probably. (He knew about the kidnapping at the time, but not the torture.) Clearly, Infinite expected Sonic to want him dead following the war. However, as the 3rd memory fought for control, Gadget remembered all too well that it hadn't been Sonic's call to make either...

* * *

"Impossible. I cannot be defeated."

Gadget could still hear the voice, clear as day. The slight modulation from the mask was a nice touch, although Gadget would much rather hear the jackal's natural voice.

"Wrong, loser! The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul, and the bonds of friendship."

Sonic, as always, was hamming it up. For who, Gadget couldn't tell. Maybe Infinite? But Sonic didn't seem like the type to gloat over a defeated enemy. Was he trying to rub it into Eggman's face? Who knows?

Either way, Gadget nodded (as Sonic was so obviously prompting him to do).

"Three things you and your counterfeit cronies lack."

Infinite punched the ground, clearly angry at his current predicament. Suddenly, he started floating away. "No, wait! I can still fight!"

Gadget could only look on in horror as Infinite faded away.

What he wouldn't give to have held Infinite's hand one more time...

* * *

He sighed. He somehow felt as if he had known all along that he and Infinite's love was doomed; after all, star-crossed lovers rarely get happy endings. Still, knowing the sad part of a movie is coming does little to keep you from crying, and Gadget knew that some little part of him was hoping Infinite would survive and that everything would be okay, to the very end.

He needed time to grieve. That much was clear. In fact, he'd ask Amy for a week off, to "clear his mind", when he saw her tomorrow. Yeah.

Like that would help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus begins my most ambitious fanfic project yet. (And by that, I mean "my first fanfic to have been planned in full before 90% of it was written".)
> 
> Let me know what you think of the story so far.
> 
> Next chapter: "Heaven can sure feel like Hell when your lover isn't by your side."


	2. Chapter 2

He should be happy. He got a somewhat good ending, even if he didn't deserve it.

After he... died? (He was still unsure of the details.) He was surprised to find himself in a sort of Heaven, and not the Hell he had expected to greet him. Apparently, from what he could infer, because he felt bad about what he did, he went to Heaven.

He avoided Hell. He should be happy.

So why was his gut twisting, as if it could tear right out of his chest?

He sighed, sitting down on a rock near what seemed to be a cliff. He knew very well why he wasn't happy, and it started with the 3 memories that were circling in his head. Staring off into the view from the cliffside, Infinite allowed himself to daydream, letting his mind hit play on the memories, whether he wanted to see them again or not.

This was not going to be fun.

* * *

_8 months prior..._

The plan was simple (they usually were): go to Hill Top Zone, steal a bunch of stuff from the rich people, sell it at a less-than-reputable pawn shop, and walk away with loads of cash. It was a simple setup, one that the Jackal Squad used often. It had gotten to the point where the people wouldn't even try to defend their belongings, deeming it too much of a risk to fight the intruders.

At the moment, Zero had broken into the latest house in his spree. Judging by the pictures, a rich wolf family lived here. He grinned. Perfect targets.

As he rummaged around the house, looking for loose change and valuables, he cursed his circumstance. Why was it that a family of wolves could be rich enough to live in Hill Top Zone of all places, and yet he and his squad were forced to lie and cheat and steal to get anywhere in the world. He loaded the TV into his bag. Sure, they were the bandits in this situation, stealing things (like TVs), but Zero didn't feel bad at all. The wolves, hedgehogs, bears, and cats of the world had it made, but not the jackals. Nobody cared for the jackals. The jackals cared for nobody, except for themselves and each other. It was poetically tragic, in a way.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a wooden box, sitting on the counter by the fridge. He didn't need to use his natural talent for finding gems to know the box had a few valuable gems in it. He picked the box up... only to get hit in the head with a broom. He brandished his sword, looking around for the perpetrator, when his eyes locked with a red wolf brandishing a broom, swinging it wildly. He braced himself, and on the next swing, he cut the head of the broom clean off.

This should have been warning enough, but the red wolf didn't seem to know when to quit. He kept swinging around the broken stick, as if that was menacing. Zero smirked. In one smooth action, he smacked the wolf's hand with the flat of his sword (making him drop the stick), jumped at him, shoving him to the ground (to force him into a position where Zero could get leverage), and held his sword to the wolf's throat.

And yet, even as the wolf was about to die, he tried his best not to show his fear. It was plain to see on his face, but the wolf tried desperately to seem brave. Zero thought back to the box; what he had thought to be multiple rare gems was really just one, semi-rare stone. It wasn't worth a life, even a wolf's life, as worthless as that was to Zero.

He smirked and picked up the box. "You want to keep it **that** badly?" He tossed it onto the wolf's chest. "Fine. Keep it."

He smiled at the look of shock on the wolf's face, as he darted off into the night with his bounty.

The Jackal Squad would eat well tonight.

* * *

He remembered exactly how much money they had made from that spree: 59,315 rings. Enough to feed them for almost half of a year. Of course, they ended up not needing that money to feed themselves...

He blinked away his tears. He didn't need to cry, not now. Right now, he had to get to the root of his problem, to shut his mind up once and for all.

* * *

_3 months earlier..._

He was relaxing on his balcony, on one of the few occasions he got to take a rest from the Doctor's incessant rambling.

The Doctor, in his infinite wisdom (seriously, 300 IQ his ass), had decided to attack a coastal town near a Resistance stronghold. The Resistance had, of course, mobilized, and was pushing the Empire forces back when Infinite had appeared, to save the Doctor's behind once again. He enjoyed it to no end when the once-disciplined forces of the Resistance quickly fell apart and scattered as soon as he lifted a finger towards them. 

Still, he noticed a face that seemed familiar in the carnage. A red wolf had stood out to him in the crowd. As far as he could tell, there was no reason for this wolf to have stood out in his memory, but the wolf's image persisted.

He heard a rustling and turned to his door, yelling in surprise when he saw the very red wolf he had been thinking about materialize through his doorway and stumble onto his couch. Infinite grabbed the mask and quickly pulled it on over his head.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?"

The wolf looked at him, partially terrified before steeling himself. "...Wait, this is _your_ house?"

If Infinite hadn't been wearing a mask, he would have facepalmed. That being said, he did slap where his face would have been. "Do you even know where you are?"

The wolf looked around sheepishly, then shrugged. "...Apart from the fact I'm in your house? Not really."

Infinite shook his head angrily. His first time in a while off of the job, and he now had to babysit a Resistance soldier. "Yes, this is my house." He didn't know how the wolf had found his house, and he decided the best way to find out would be to ask. "How did you get here?"

The wolf, again, looked around sheepishly. "Well, when you attacked the Resistance, we all scattered. I kept running until I found something that looked like my apartment building back near Sunset Heights."

Infinite could tell the wolf was telling the truth, and he couldn't even muster a shake of his head in response. "Well, this is my house, not your apartment. Not to mention, we aren't anywhere near Sunset Heights. So get out."

The wolf got up, and began to walk away. It was at about that point that Infinite saw just how badly beaten and bruised the wolf truly was. Some part of him was not about to send this wolf crawling back into the wilderness and city ruins outside. He stopped the wolf, eliciting a surprised response.

He suddenly shook his head. He couldn't believe himself. Imagine if his old self could see him now: caring for a wolf's well-being. Zero, the Ultimate Mercenary, would have left the wolf to die.

He then chided himself, remembering that Zero, the Ultimate Mercenary, was weak. That was why he was Infinite now: he (Zero) had been too weak to save his squad. Now, with the Phantom Ruby, he had endless power.

Regardless, all of this internal fighting happened in less than a second, and he decided to dignify the wolf with a response. "You're injured."

The wolf brushed it off. "You could say that again. Anyways, I'll just be..."

Infinite refused to let it go, stopping the wolf dead in his tracks and gently giving him a shove in the general direction of the couch. Of course, with the endless power the Phantom Ruby gave him, it was more of a throw than a push, but it still seemed gentle. "Let me help you." He pulled a first aid kit from his belongings; an old vestige of when he'd go on heists with his squad... he needed to stop crying, the wolf was in need of help. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and went back over to the wolf, preparing a sterile alcohol pad. "Hold still."

He aimed at a cut on the wolf's cheek, but he missed the wolf's head entirely, almost sterilizing the couch. He sighed. "Ugh... stupid mask, taking away my depth perception." He pressed the button under his mask to release his head, and he pulled off the mask. He was getting ready to start working on the cut when he heard the wolf gasp and noticed that he (as in, the wolf) was staring at his eyes. Infinite had never felt so insecure about his heterochromia than in that moment. He cleared his throat. "Are you done staring?"

The wolf blinked twice before reacting, still looking at Infinite quizzically. "Oh, sorry, you just reminded me of someone..." Infinite took another good look at the wolf. He knew the face looked familiar, but from where he didn't know. Fortunately for him, the wolf decided to pipe up. "I hit you with a broom? Five months ago?"

Infinite realized who the wolf was in an instant, and smirked. "Oh, yeah, and I almost killed you for it." Internally, he was conflicted. Was this really the same brat from 5 months ago?

He shook his head, deciding to start with the cuts on the wolf's arms and legs first. He remembered what one of his squad members had told him. "Start with the arms and legs when taking care of cuts and scrapes. Cuts to the femoral and brachial arteries can be fatal." He shook the voice out of his head, trying desperately to not cry in front of the wolf. Luckily, the wolf seemed to be lost in thought himself, and he didn't notice.

As he continued tending to the wolf's scrapes and cuts, Infinite couldn't help but think about his quote-unquote "patient". Namely, what was this weird feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when he thought of the wolf? Surely, it wasn't love, or attraction... right? Clearly! The Phantom Ruby would not allow such weaknesses. And yet, he clearly felt something in relation to the wolf. For instance, right now, he felt as if he had finished taking care of the cuts and scrapes he could find on the wolf's arms, legs, and torso. "Turn your head to the left." The wolf complied.

In all seriousness, he very clearly felt something, something more involved than base lust or any easily explainable emotion that would explain these feelings. He sighed. Even if he was attracted to the wolf, would the wolf love him back? Infinite had done so many terrible things. He killed people, he kidnapped Sonic for chaos' sake. He was the furthest from perfect as you could get, something that could not be said of the bandage covering the cuts on the wolf's left cheek. "Turn your head to the right now." The wolf complied.

At this point, Infinite was as lost in thought as the wolf. Is Infinite just touch-starved? That could easily explain these feelings. Yet, as he tended to the cuts on the wolf's face, Infinite knew that being touch-starved was just a part of the equation. As much as he hated to admit it, he was truly in love.

Was love a weakness? Or was the lack of it even more so? He didn't know the answer, and he figured he never would.

His hand lingered on the cheek of the wolf he desperately wanted, but knew he could never have. "There. All patched up." He caressed the wolf's face, knowing all too well this would be the last time he'd have a chance to. That is, of course, unless the wolf loves him back. Although, even in that case, this would probably be the last time they'd be able to meet, unless another opportunity came by chance. They stared into each other's eyes, neither wanting to break eye contact.

Ultimately, however, Infinite couldn't hold back anymore. He blacked out for a second, and when he came to, he and the wolf were locked in a kiss. He didn't question it, relishing the moment. While he had apparently started at the bottom, he was able to wrestle his way on top. (He noticed the wolf's blush intensify when he got on top, but Infinite decided not to say anything, fearing it would ruin the moment.)

That's where he was when the kiss ended, about 4 and a half hours later; laying on top of a wolf he barely knew. He felt the words go straight from his heart to his mouth, bypassing his brain. "I don't want to let go. I want to stay like this forever."

The wolf, clearly blushing, looked to the side. "I mean, I'll have to go, eventually. But can we stay like this, just for tonight?"

Infinite felt a smile form on his muzzle. "I'd like that. Very much." He hugged the wolf tight, before remembering a question he had wanted to ask the wolf for a while. "By the way, I never caught your name."

The wolf seemed to melt into his touch, before simply saying "Gadget."

"Gadget." He smiled again. "It suits you."

They fell asleep in each other's arms.

_The next morning..._

Infinite woke up first, as usual. He got up, ignoring the urge to lay back down when Gadget whimpered at the sudden loss of warmth, and made himself and Gadget potatoes for breakfast. It wasn't much, but it was the same thing Infinite had for breakfast most days, so he knew how to prepare potatoes well.

He was surprised to hear a sudden beeping noise. He looked back over to the couch to see Gadget wake up wistfully. Infinite handed him the bowl of potatoes, and Gadget signaled for him to be quiet. "Go for Gadget?"

He was surprised to hear a brash voice on the other end. "Gadget! Where have you been?"

Gadget seemed to choose his words carefully. "I got... lost."

The brash nature of the voice quickly melted into concern. "Do you need us to send someone to find you?"

Zero frantically shook his head. It was bad enough Gadget had found his living quarters, he didn't need a gaggle of Resistance soldiers showing up on his doorstep. Gadget didn't even look up from his potatoes before responding. "No, I'm fine, I think I know where I am now."

The voice on the other end was still concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? Amy said you looked scraped up when-"

Infinite saw Gadget tense up slightly at the mention of this "Amy", before the red wolf sighed. "It's been a while since I saw Amy. I'm fine now, I got all patched up. I'll be back to the base in a bit."

The voice was mad. "Gadget, you are not getting rid of me that easily-"

Another voice interjected. "Oh, leave him be. If he says he's patched up, I believe him."

The voice was angry. "But-" It resigned itself. "Oh, all right. Get back to base soon, Gadget." A small beep could be heard from the communicator, but Infinite still didn't talk.

Gadget finally dug into the potatoes for real, and he seemed to enjoy them. He looked up at Infinite. "He hung up, we're in the clear."

Infinite let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank chaos! Is he usually that..."

"...annoying? Yes."

They shared a laugh.

Soon, Gadget had finished his breakfast, and was packing to leave when Infinite noticed a familiar-looking red rock sitting on the couch where Gadget had been laying. He beat the wolf to it and held it into the light. "So that's where that Phantom Ruby prototype went. I thought I was going crazy when I couldn't find it." He looked over at Gadget, who was so terrified Infinite could practically drink his fear out of the air, and snickered. "You haven't changed a bit in 5 months." He tossed the Phantom Ruby prototype back to Gadget, who was completely bewildered. "Keep it. As long as you have it on you, nothing the Phantom Ruby can do will hurt you."

Gadget stopped and rubbed the back of his head. "I was thinking... what will we do when the war is over? Since, as much as I'd like to, I can't keep sneaking out to make out on your couch while there's a war going on outside."

Infinite paused. Did Gadget really refer to it that blithely? Either way, he hadn't really considered that (seeing as how he never expected to get this far). " _When_ the Eggman Empire succeeds in taking over the world, I'll spare you. We'll live together, if you want."

Gadget shook his head, clearly doubting the chances of the Doctor to succeed (which, honestly, Infinite did too). "And if the Empire fails, I'll do the same-"

Infinite stopped him before he could continue to bite off more than he could chew, shaking his head. "I'm afraid that won't be your call to make."

Gadget looked him in the eyes. "I'll do _everything in my power to do_ the same. Better?"

Infinite looked to the side. "Not really, but the sentiment was nice..."

Gadget's communicator started beeping again. Gadget swore under his breath, and Infinite decided to give him some space to take the call. "Go for Gadget-"

Whoever this new voice was, they didn't even let him finish his introduction. (Rude.) "Gadget! Are you okay? You seemed pretty scraped up when I saw you last-"

Gadget audibly sighed, earning a pause from the voice on the other end. "I'm fine. As I told Knuckles, I'm all patched up now." Infinite swore he could see Gadget mouth "Thanks to Infinite", but he didn't say anything out loud. "I was just getting ready to head back to base."

"Alright! I'll talk to you more when you get here!" The same small beep could be heard.

He started to put his mask back on, when Gadget spoke up. "See? They aren't _all_ as talkative as Knuckles!"

Infinite snickered. "Yeah, but she'll give you an earful when you get back to base." He put the mask back on, and decided to try a Shakespeare quote. "Farewell! Dry sorrow drinks our blood."

He swore Gadget shuddered slightly, but the wolf simply shook it off and walked out the door. "Farewell."

* * *

Infinite held his head in his hands. Somebody was walking up to him, but he didn't care at this point. He knew what the third memory was, and he knew it was going to sting. That didn't mean he didn't need to see it; in fact, it meant that he needed to see it, to finally get his mind to shut up.

* * *

"Impossible. I cannot be defeated."

And yet, here he was, defeated. All because of Sonic and that traitor Gadget. Part of Infinite wanted to reveal the events of that night to Sonic, to leave him with a moral dilemma, but he decided against it. Even though Gadget had betrayed him, he wasn't about to out somebody like that.

"Wrong, loser! The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul, and the bonds of friendship."

That blue nuisance was hamming it up. Gadget nodded, and Infinite's heart almost broke in two. He thought he and Gadget were friends, maybe more. But Gadget had used him, and now he was defeated.

"Three things you and your counterfeit cronies lack!"

Infinite couldn't really hate Gadget for too long. After all, the wolf was clearly just looking out for his best interests. Infinite knew Gadget couldn't save him from his fate. He punched the ground, imagining it was Sonic's face. Suddenly, he started to float away. "No, wait! I can still fight!"

He swore he saw Gadget look at him in horror for a second before he blacked out.

* * *

"What I wouldn't give to hold his hand one more time..."

The person from before had finally caught up to him. "Is everything okay?"

Infinite stared off into the sunset. "Yep."

The person looked at him. "Are you sure?"

Infinite shook his head. "Absolutely not."

The person sat next to him. "What's on your mind?"

Infinite looked back to the sunset. "I miss my boyfriend." The person arched an eyebrow at him, so he continued. "I never got to say a proper goodbye to him, let alone the fact that I'm dead." He sighed. "Wish I could go back and get a second chance at life."

The person smiled at him. "That can be arranged."

Right in front of Infinite's eyes, the "person" melted into a nine-tailed kitsune. Infinite was stunned. "It can?"

The kitsune shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do. Besides, it'll probably be better than the dreck that passes for 'romantic TV' up here." The kitsune kneeled behind him and placed its hand on his forehead. Infinite could feel himself fade, feeling a sudden... pain? In his chest?

He didn't have time to question it, since he was now passed out in an alley. The voice he heard before he lost consciousness, however, was unmistakable.

"Infinite?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally going somewhere with the plot, as we advance past the "memory clip show" portion of this fic. When I planned the first 2 chapters out, I dedicated them to showing the reader these 3 core memories from both perspectives, since these 3 moments kind of anchor Infinite and Gadget's relationship before the main events of this fic take place. It's the firsts: first meeting, first kiss, and first separation.
> 
> I'd just like to take a second here in these chapter notes to plug [my Discord server](https://khuxkm.ttm.sh/discord). I'm really lonely, so come hang out with me.
> 
> Next chapter: "The main plot finally kicks into action. There'll be secrecy, lies, coverups, and a certain famous character who plays a mean Cassandra."


	3. Chapter 3

Gadget had went to the base and asked for his time off. Amy had immediately agreed, saying that she felt she needed some time off herself. She obviously needed it for a different reason than he did.

After all, Amy hadn't lost her love.

Sonic was still around. Sure, he didn't hang out with the Resistance crew often but he was always around when they needed him. He was still alive.

The same could not be said of Infinite.

After the war, the Resistance had just accepted the answer that he died following the fight. Nobody thought to question it, nobody seemed to care.

Except for him.

Everybody else got a happy ending. No more Eggman rule, no more Empire to fight, just restoring the world to its former state. But meanwhile, he was left with a dead boyfriend and a broken heart.

It just wasn't fair.

He decided to take the long way home, to try and calm his mind. It hadn't been working, since everything just reminded him of Infinite. The red rocks that were no doubt once a mighty building, the metallic chunks that were everywhere, that black jackal body bleeding from its chest that just flashed into existence, the blue sky-

Wait, what?

He turned back around, and, sure enough, there was a black jackal body bleeding from its chest. Coming up to it, he knew there was only one possibility for who it could be.

"Infinite?!"

He picked the body up bridal-style and took it back to his house. Patching the wound as best as he could, he realized he'd need help.

But who could he call? Nobody in their right mind would help Infinite, infamous war criminal.

But, thinking about it, there _was_ one hedgehog Gadget knew he could count on to help _him_ , and Gadget knew that could be parlayed into helping _Infinite_.

After making sure Infinite wasn't still bleeding from his chest, Gadget hurried back to base. There was somebody he needed to retrieve.

* * *

"Hey, Silver, can I talk to you for a second?"

The plan was simple: convince Silver to come to Gadget's house under the guise of helping a civilian, get him to swear to secrecy on the way, and then hope he's a hedgehog of his word. The first part of that plan should be easy.

"Sure thing, Gadget. What's going on?"

Gadget looked around, trying to ensure nobody else was around. "I was wondering if you could help me on a... house call? Is that what they're called?" Silver nodded, so Gadget continued. "I found an injured civilian and I was able to get them to my apartment, but their injuries are too severe to bring them in."

Silver looked at him concernedly. Jackpot. "That sounds horrible. I'll bring some medical supplies, and we'll see what we can do."

Gadget nodded. Once Silver left, Gadget let a devious grin spread across his face. Part 1 of the plan was completed.

Silver eventually emerged from the infirmary, with several tools and supplies in a knapsack he carried over his shoulder. "Alright, I'm packed. Lead the way."

They flew on in relative silence, Gadget using his grappling hook and Silver his telekinesis. Eventually, they stopped outside Gadget's door. "Silver, before we go in, I need you to promise me something."

Silver's brow furrowed. "What?"

Gadget looked at him seriously. "Promise me that, whatever you see in my house, you won't say a word of it to anybody in the Resistance."

Silver looked at Gadget quizzically. "Why?"

Gadget refused to look away from Silver. "Just promise."

Silver smiled. "Alright, I promise. Besides, what do you even have in there, a war criminal?" He opened the door, and froze when he saw Infinite lying on Gadget's couch. He pulled Gadget inside and closed the door. "You know, when I said 'war criminal', I was joking."

Gadget looked at Silver with every ounce of seriousness in his body. "Well, when I told you to promise not to say anything, I wasn't joking. You promised."

Silver put his hands up defensively. "Yeah, yeah. Lips sealed." He walked over to the body. "So, what seems to be wrong with our patient?" Gadget looked at him like he was insane. "...I mean, apart from the giant chest wound you seem to have bandaged already -- very well, may I add."

"That's it. I found him on the street bleeding from his chest, I brought him here, I bandaged the wound, and then I got you. I figured you'd have a better idea of anything else that might be wrong."

Silver looked Infinite over again. "Well, a chest wound probably means he's suffering from extreme blood loss. I can't imagine he's too well in other respects either." Silver felt at Infinite's wrist for a pulse. "Heart's still beating, so that's not an issue." He put his ear to Infinite's chest. "Still breathing, too. I'd say you found him in the nick of time."

Gadget was stressing out. "So what's wrong with him?"

It was as if that sentence opened the floodgates. "Well, for starters, his heartbeat is very weak, and he's going to need a blood transfusion anyways, since he's lost quite a bit of blood. He's hanging onto life by a thread, and I'm not sure how much of it we can solve without taking him into the infirmary, which I already assume is a no-go, since you don't even want the Resistance knowing he's here. If we could get him awake -- and that's a big if -- I'd have to evaluate him for any brain damage he might have suffered during this time. Either way, I can't fully diagnose problems, because I can't even see his head with the mask on, so-"

Gadget interrupted him. "We can fix that." He walked over to Infinite, recalling his memories of their night together and remembering where Infinite pushed the button to take the mask off. Sure enough, at that exact point, there was a button on the mask. Gadget pushed it and pulled the mask away to reveal Infinite's face.

Silver gasped. "How did you know how to take his mask off?"

Gadget realized he'd need an excuse to keep Silver at bay. "...Well, it's mostly a lucky guess. I probably saw the button when I was carrying him here."

Silver could tell that was an excuse, but he didn't say anything. He checked for any signs of head trauma before pulling back and looking pleased. "No head trauma, so that's not an issue." Silver put his head in his hands; what had he gotten himself into? "Either way, to get a better look at him, and to increase his chances of survival, we'll need to take him into the infirmary."

Gadget looked at Silver quizzically. "You can't be serious. What are we going to tell the Resistance members? 'Oh, hey, we just happened to find Infinite bleeding out from a chest wound in the street and we decided to try and save him'? Something tells me that would go over about as well as a dinner date with Eggman."

Silver looked at Gadget, frustrated. "Don't use 'we', none of this was my idea! You're the one who's trying to help a war criminal! You figure out how to hide his identity!"

Gadget paused, deep in thought, before answering Silver. "How about this: ' _I_ found a civilian passed out on the street from blood loss, and I got them bandaged up at my apartment. _Silver_ took a house call to my apartment and said I should take the civilian to the infirmary.' That way, the only lie is that we don't know who this 'civilian' is."

Silver pondered it for a second. "That should work. Knuckles is kind of an idiot anyways. He'd buy it."

Gadget smiled. "He probably would. Anyways, help me pick him up-" Infinite's body glowed with a cyan light, as Silver smirked. Gadget stopped for a second. "Right. Forgot you could do that. Let's roll."

* * *

Imagine the sight at the Resistance base. Gadget is zipping down the hallway, opening doors and stuff, while Silver carries an obviously injured Mobian behind him.

Soon enough, the infirmary was back in action. It looked like your average hospital: heart monitor that beeps occasionally, IV drip, the whole 9 yards. Knuckles bought the story, just like Silver predicted. A few other people from the Resistance came and went, but they all seemed to believe the story.

Silver looked up from his results and sighed. "It seems like the only problem is blood loss. Everything else about him seems to be okay. He should pull through-"

Silver was interrupted by a groan from the bed. "...Where am I?"

Sure enough, Infinite had woken up. Silver and Gadget immediately rushed to his side. Gadget was the first to speak up. "Do you need anything?"

Infinite managed to croak out "...wa..ter..." Silver rushed over to the sink and got Infinite a cup of water, which the jackal quickly drank before passing out again.

Silver shook his head. "He'll need a blood transfusion before long." A machine next to Silver spat out a chart, which he picked up and looked at. "According to the blood tester, he has AB positive blood."

Gadget was nervous and concerned. "Is that good?"

Silver smiled a half-smile, the kind you give when things aren't all okay, but they're mostly okay. "Yeah, it means he can take any blood type."

One blood transfusion later (Gadget couldn't bring himself to watch), Silver came back out of the infirmary. "It went well. He should be okay."

Gadget immediately ran over and hugged Silver, confusing the sterling hedgehog. Of course, Gadget immediately pulled away, blushing profusely. Silver was still confused, but he didn't question it.

They went back into the room and sat there, Gadget keeping watch while Silver slept, and vice versa, for the next few days. Occasionally, Infinite would wake up. Whichever caretaker was awake would ask him the same few questions: "Do you need water? Do you need food? Do you need painkillers? Rate your pain on a scale from 1-10." The jackal would groggily answer these questions, accept food, water, or painkillers (when he was in enough pain), and then fall back asleep. There was a routine there.

But eventually, the monotony of the routine would have to be interrupted sometime. As it turned out, the break in their routine would come courtesy of a certain blue hedgehog.

* * *

It was the third day since Infinite's admission into the infirmary. Silver was starting to get worried, but was willing to just let Infinite rest. After all, the chest wound was a serious injury, and if the jackal needed to sleep it off, that was okay. Eventually, however, on one of Silver's shifts, Sonic came to visit. Silver quickly shook Gadget awake.

"Well, well, well." Sonic took a moment to admire the hospital environment. Everything seemed so spotless and white, which contrasted well with the black jackal body currently on the mattress. "How's the patient?"

Silver seemed happy to play Sonic's games, since it was obvious that Sonic had a reason to be there. "Oh, you know, he wakes up, takes some food and water and goes back to sleep. I'd be a little concerned about how long it's taking him to recover if it weren't for the nasty chest wound he had when Gadget found him." The wolf nodded in approval; the chest wound HAD been a bloody mess.

Sonic decided that was enough niceties and cut to the chase. "Have you gotten any closer to identifying the patient?"

Silver shrugged. "Not really. We've been a bit busy taking care of him."

"Why don't you just, I dunno... ask him? I mean, you said it yourself, he wakes up. Clearly, he could just tell you."

Silver wasn't sure why Sonic was so anxious to figure out who the patient was. "He's barely conscious enough to answer 4 questions, drink, and eat. I'm not even sure if he's conscious enough to know his own name, and either way, he eventually falls back asleep. When he's awake, we have more _pressing_ matters than what his _name_ is."

Sonic seemed to not like Silver's tone. "Silver, we can't just keep using a bed on somebody we don't even know the name of-"

"Why not?" Silver was defensive, admittedly a little too much. "It's not like there's a **war** to fight anymore! You took care of that!"

Sonic seemed slightly hurt, but he quickly steeled himself and went on the offensive. "You're hiding something. I know you are."

"What? No, we're not. You're acting delusional-"

" **You're** the delusional one! **You're** the one who insists on using an infirmary bed on some random civilian who can't even remember his own Chaos-damned name! **You're** the crazy one, not me!" Sonic turned away, walking towards the door before turning back to face the bed. "You know what? The war is over, Infinite has disappeared. Suddenly, a black jackal matching his exact height winds up with a chest wound on the street. I bet that's your secret- he's Infinite, isn't he?!"

Silver played his poker face well, and Gadget simply continued being non-verbal in the moment. "You're delusional. Infinite is dead. You watched him die."

Sonic thought for a second before he replied. "Actually, I didn't see him die. He got teleported away by the Phantom Ruby- speaking of which, that hole in his chest seems oddly Phantom Ruby shaped-"

Silver picked Sonic up with his telekinetic powers and practically growled at him. "Even if you're right- **which you aren't-** you have no proof." He paused for a second to catch his breath. "Right now, you're making a mess of my infirmary and causing a scene. Knock it off."

Sonic was mad. "WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?!-"

Silver smacked a piece of metal into Sonic's face, shutting him up. "Knuckles isn't here, and this is my infirmary, so I'm in charge. Get out."

Sonic growled at Silver, before relenting. "Fine. But I'll reveal your secret eventually. I just need proof."

Silver smiled wickedly at Sonic. "Sure. Good luck finding any." He dropped Sonic, who promptly turned about-face and walked out of the infirmary.

However, a sound from the bed surprised both Gadget and Silver.

"...What's all this ruckus about? Chaos, my head hurts..."

He was awake. And he could actually form complete sentences.

Sonic's half-baked revenge plot could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot finally moves past memories and starts with tangible progress. We're going somewhere.
> 
> Next chapter: "Shadow gets involved. Things get real."


	4. Chapter 4

It had been 12 hours since Infinite woke up, and he went back to sleep. It was a blessing in disguise, since who would come bursting through the door than Sonic himself, with a very annoyed Shadow in tow.

Sonic started out loud but he got quieter when he noticed Infinite was sleeping. "Alright, I've figured out how I'm going to get proof."

Silver looked at Shadow with a smirk that was somewhere between bemused, terrified, and apologetic, before looking back to Sonic. "And how would that be? And how does it involve Mr. Dark and Grumpy over here?" His nickname for Shadow earned him a glare.

Sonic didn't notice. "Well, Shads over here can detect chaos signatures." (Shadow also glared at him for his nickname, not that Sonic cared any.) "He's been around Infinite before, and he can tell you that the two signatures are the same. Right, Shads?"

Plenty of things were on Shadow's mind. First off, he wasn't happy with Silver for calling him "Mr. Dark and Grumpy", but he especially wasn't happy with Sonic for calling him Shads. Twice. He read the signature, and wasn't surprised any when it matched. He got ready to tell Sonic he was right, and then he read the room.

Silver and Gadget were looking at him, equal parts expectant and terrified. He realized that they knew, and were hiding the jackal's identity for a reason. Combined with Sonic calling him Shads twice in a row, he came up with a plan.

He turned back to Sonic. "Faker, I don't know what you're on about. The signatures don't match."

Sonic was mad. "Urgh... fine! I'll just have to get proof some other way. Thanks for being no help, Shadow!" He stormed off.

Shadow looked down the hall, and as soon as Sonic was gone, he shut the door. "Alright. Now, I know for a fact he **is** Infinite, so you guys had better have a good reason for why he's here."

Both Shadow and Silver were surprised when Gadget spoke up. (Usually, in Shadow's presence, Gadget didn't talk; he was too nervous.) "I came across him lying in the road with a chest wound. I wasn't about to just leave him to die."

"Why not?"

Gadget realized he'd have to mention what happened that night, or change his pattern. "Shadow, what did you try to do to Sonic when you first met him?"

Shadow knew Gadget was hiding something, but he pondered the question for a second. "I tried to kill him, I guess."

Gadget smiled. He was getting somewhere. He spun to Silver. "And Silver, what did you try to do to Sonic when **you** first met him?"

Silver saw where Gadget was going. "I tried to kill him."

Gadget turned back to address both hedgehogs. "And what was Infinite trying to do to Sonic when they first met?" He paused for a second. "Exactly. He was trying to kill Sonic. Most of Sonic's friends have tried to kill him in the past. I figured it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say Infinite fits that bill."

Shadow stopped for a second; he hadn't thought about it that way before. "I guess you're right, Gadget. Even Knuckles tried to kill Sonic, and he's one of Sonic's best friends, for Chaos' sake!" He smiled. "I'll help you keep up this farce. No matter what Sonic says counts as proof, the 'fact' that the chaos signatures don't match disproves it."

Gadget smiled. "Thanks, Shadow!"

Shadow rubbed the back of his head and looked to the side. "Eh, it's nothing." He smiled deviously. "Anything to make Faker mad."

He was interrupted by yet another groan from the bed. "...I swear, whenever something interesting happens, I'm asleep."

Shadow, taking one last look at Infinite, sped out of the room, leaving Gadget and Silver with a dazed jackal and plenty of questions that needed answers.

* * *

"So, how are you doing?"

Infinite had ate, and drank, and was feeling a lot better, now that he wasn't running out of blood. "Better? Kinda? There's still a lot I don't remember..."

Silver was concerned. "You don't remember?"

Infinite sat up in bed. "I mean, I remember Gadget..." His hand lingered on Gadget's for a second, before Infinite shook his head. "And I remember a few pieces of memories from when I first got the Phantom Ruby implanted, and the things that happened before then. That's it." He put his head in his hands. "The past 6 months are a black hole, apart from that. Which leaves me with some questions..."

Silver had expected Infinite to have questions, but the memory loss was unexpected. "Like?"

Infinite pondered for a second, as if to pick a question from a metaphorical hat. "Who is that blue hedgehog? Why does he keep coming here and arguing with you?"

Silver groaned. Of all of the things Infinite could ask, it had to be **that** question first. "Well..." He then went on to explain what had been going on for the past 6 months, with Infinite occasionally stopping him along the way to tell the sterling hedgehog when he was retreading the few memories the jackal kept. "...and so he's trying really hard to convince everybody else that you're Infinite, the war criminal, and that they need to take action."

Infinite already knew the answer, but he had to ask. "As in?"

Silver sighed. "I assume he'd call for your execution."

It was Infinite's turn to sigh, as he rolled over in the bed. "I can't really say I'd blame him? If somebody kidnapped me and tortured me for 6 months, I'd want them dead, too." There was a tinge of guilt in his voice, and something told Silver that Infinite was speaking from experience.

"Well, I don't want him to kill you." Gadget got up and held his hand out to Infinite, who surprised Gadget by pulling the wolf into a hug. "I meant what I said that morning."

"That morning?" Silver was confused, and Gadget realized he had revealed a little too much. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing..." Gadget looked at the floor. The tiles were pretty.

"Sure, it was nothing, and my name's John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt." Silver wasn't convinced in the slightest, but he decided not to push the issue further. "Whatever, keep your secrets. _Chaos knows I'm keeping mine..._ "

Gadget breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to open that can of worms yet. Still, the implication of Silver having secrets to keep intrigued Gadget, but he decided not to pry. If he didn't want Silver to pry in his secrets, he wouldn't pry in Silver's secrets. "So, what now?"

Silver studied a chart that came out of one of the machines hooked to Infinite. "Well, his healing is coming along very well on its own. I originally thought we might need to use the Chaos Emeralds to heal him, but he's coming along." He turned to Infinite. "How do you feel?"

Infinite looked into Silver's gold eyes and smiled. "Everything hurts, and my chest feels like it's going to explode." Silver looked at him in horror. Infinite turned his head to the side and laughed. "I'm just messing with you. I'm still in pain, but not **that much**."

"Do you want some painkillers?"

"Sure." After taking the painkillers, Infinite seemed to relax a little more into his bed. "That's better. So, who knows about it?"

"Well, obviously, Gadget knows, and I know." Silver racked his brain. "I guess Shadow knows, but not because we told him, but because he could tell from the chaos signature..."

Infinite's face scrunched up. "Shadow? Who's he?"

Silver thought to himself. "Hmm... black hedgehog, about my height? Red eyeliner? Gold bracelets? Any of this ringing a bell?"

Infinite thought to himself for a second, until he realized who Silver was talking about. **He** knew? Sure, Silver _said_ he hadn't told **him** , but Infinite didn't know Silver enough to trust him.

Plus, Infinite didn't trust **him** because of... the incident...

Damn it, now he was crying. He rolled over to bury his face in the pillow. "Yeah, I know who he is... look, can you give me a sec? Alone?" His voice cracked on the last word.

Gadget's face morphed into one of concern, but Silver was the one to talk first. "Yeah, sure. We'll give you some time." Gadget looked at Silver sternly, before the sterling hedgehog dragged the red wolf out of the room. "He's grieving. Let him be."

Before they could walk away, though, Silver heard a weak voice from the room. "Hey, Silver?"

Silver poked his head back in through the door. "Yes?"

Infinite paused. He wasn't sure if this was the right move, but he decided that Gadget, at least, deserved to know the story. Besides, he figured Gadget would be smart enough to put the picture together. "Look into the Ultimate Mercenary. That'll tell you about my past."

"Alright." Silver pulled his head back out of the door and turned to Gadget. "Let's go see Tails. Maybe he can shed some light on this whole 'Ultimate Mercenary' business."

Gadget nodded, and the two went off to ask Tails. If only they knew what awaited them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear.
> 
> Next chapter: "Infinite's past is revealed."


	5. Chapter 5

He missed his Jackal Squad. That much was obvious. And it was all Shadow's fault...

He decided to think back on the good times. They all went by numbers; for example, he had been Zero. He remembered the good times, when he, One, and Two would sit in a room by themselves and just plan these great heists. Three would set up the technical stuff, and Four would provide moral support. (Also, Four had plenty of guns, both in the sense of muscles and firearms. That helped.)

There were the missions like the one that had led him to Gadget the first time, where it was a strike on a village or town, and then there were the grand heists. They'd break into big museums with all sorts of security, and take whatever they felt belonged to them. Those were his favorite missions, and the ones where most of his good memories came from.

For example, he remembered Four bashing a security guard's skull against a wall until the poor sap died. That was funny. Or maybe his favorite memory was Two swinging down on a rope hung from the rafters and just... stealing a gem from its pedestal. By the time the alarms went off, Two was out of there like nobody's business.

And yet, all the same, they were gone now. All thanks to **Shadow**...

...and now **Shadow** knew who he was. Infinite pondered for a second. Did Shadow actually know that he was Zero? Or did Shadow only think of him as Infinite? Shadow hadn't recognized them when they first met, after he had become Infinite. Either way, Shadow had killed the rest of the Jackal Squad and then left Zero alive. Why?! Why did Shadow spare him and nobody else?

He buried his face in his pillow and wept. No amount of crying could bring them back, but it did soothe the pain.

* * *

"Hmm... the Ultimate Mercenary... that name sounds familiar. Let me see what I can dig up."

Tails had started digging for information after Silver had brought it up to him. He had heard of legends of a black jackal who took what he wanted and answered to nobody. What that had to do with Silver or his patient, Tails didn't know, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Here's the file. The Ultimate Mercenary, possibly known as Zero, was a mercenary soldier and bandit who was in action until about 7 months ago. He worked with a squad of four other jackals, calling themselves the Jackal Squad. They stayed as a group until an incident about a month ago resulted in the death of the entire squad, save for the Ultimate Mercenary himself."

Gadget was astonished. "...that's horrible..."

"Apparently, an unnamed hedgehog stormed Doctor Eggman's base in the Mystic Jungle and destroyed it. The Jackal Squad were being paid to protect the base, and they all died in the attack, save for the Ultimate Mercenary, who was spared, for some reason."

Silver muttered something to himself about how it was no wonder he was grieving, but Gadget realized something. "Wait, didn't Shadow go on a mission to attack the Mystic Jungle base 7 months ago?"

Tails realized something. "...You're right, he did. But that would mean..."

"Chaos..."

Silver was shocked, to say the least. "Do you think he knows?"

Tails shook his head. "I would think he would have said something if he did. I'm not sure you should tell him, though-"

Gadget interrupted Tails. "Well, we're gonna have to, eventually, since our patient is none other than the Ultimate Mercenary himself."

Silver looked at Gadget quizzically. "And how would you know that?"

Gadget looked at Silver like he was stupid. "Why else would he ask us to look into the Ultimate Mercenary's past, unless he was the Ultimate Mercenary? Plus, it explains why he got sad when we mentioned Shadow..."

Silver nodded. "I guess you're right."

Tails could tell something was up, but he shook his head; he didn't need to think about that right now. "In that case, then yeah, you should probably tell him. Just to avoid any misconceptions or awkward moments."

"Alright. Where is he?"

"I think he's in the cafeteria. That's where I saw him last."

"Thanks. Let's go, Gadget."

It took Gadget a second to pry himself away from the screen. Shadow had really killed all of Infinite's friends? No wonder Infinite wasn't too happy to hear about him.

* * *

Sure enough, Shadow was in the cafeteria, sulking in a corner. Silver was the first to speak up. "You didn't tell me you killed people on your missions."

Shadow seemed oddly hurt by Silver's phrasing, before reverting to his default scowl. "What are you even talking about?"

Even though it was in a hushed tone, Silver was clearly yelling. "You killed Infinite's friends and teammates! How do you not remember that?!"

"Hmm..." Shadow was lost in thought for a second. "No, that doesn't ring a bell. I **do** remember him saying something along those lines, but I don't remember seeing him at all before we fought in the city."

Gadget spoke up. "Mystic Jungle? Around 7 months ago?"

Shadow thought for a moment, before almost doing a double-take. "That was him? I'm still not sure what you're talking about, I left him alive..."

"...but his squadmates weren't so lucky." Silver finished Shadow's sentence before the dark hedgehog could finish it himself.

"...I should've realized..." Shadow got up from his chair and started walking towards the door. "I'll be back in a bit. Need to go for a run."

Silver's eyes lingered on the door a little bit after Shadow had left. "That went... well?" He got up. "Let's go see how our Ultimate Mercenary's doing."

Gadget nodded, and he and Silver returned to the infirmary. Meanwhile, in the city streets...

* * *

Shadow needed to clear his head. He was pretty sure he had been about to cry when he had got up and started for the door, although why he was going to cry, he didn't know. Why would it matter to him that Infinite lost-

It was at about that point that it hit Shadow, clear as day.

This situation felt oddly familiar.

You have somebody you hold dear. Then, somebody more powerful than you comes in, kills the person you hold dear, and changes your life forever. In Shadow's case, GUN killed Maria, and he had almost been willing to destroy the Earth because of it.

And yet, here was Infinite. He probably cared for his squad, and then Shadow came along and killed them. Was he any better than GUN? No wonder Infinite went on a rampage, murdering people and trying to enslave the world. He was hurting from his loss, and wanted to show that he wasn't weak anymore.

No matter how fast he ran, Shadow couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that was clear in his heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to include the "Next chapter" teaser in the chapter notes at the end of last chapter (in fact, I completely forgot to do anything with chapter notes last chapter). The teaser for this chapter, had I actually included it, would have been:
>
>> Next chapter: "Our cobalt Cassandra is back, with a plan that might have worked, if he hadn't told a certain ebony hedgehog."

When Silver and Gadget got back to the infirmary, they were surprised to see Infinite sitting up against the pillows at the head of the bed. "So, did you find out?"

Gadget nodded, before hanging his head in sadness. "That's horrible. I didn't know..."

Infinite reached out and picked Gadget's head up. "There's nothing you could have done about it." He smiled at the red wolf, before continuing. "That being said, I'd really prefer if you didn't mention Shadow to me for a while."

Gadget and Silver nodded, with Silver speaking up. "Yeah, I can get why that might be a touchy subject for you."

Infinite paused for a second, before continuing. "That being said, since I'm Ruby-less, I'm back to being the Ultimate Mercenary; but you can call me Zero."

Gadget smiled. "Zero. I like it." Remembering their night together, he smirked. " _It suits you._ " Zero smiled back at him, while Silver just looked at the pair quizzically.

They then sat in relative silence for a minute or two, Gadget sitting next to the bed, Zero in the bed, and Silver at the desk. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Silver poked his head out, he and the person outside had a short conversation, and then he pulled his head back in. "He wants to talk to you, Gadget."

Gadget was puzzled. "Who..." He realized. "Oh. Sure." He got up, and walked out of the door to greet Shadow.

Shadow was acting shifty, looking left and right. "Hey, Gadget, you should... make sure things are... _cleaned up_ at your apartment."

Gadget was confused. "Things? Cleaned up?"

Shadow looked around; when he was confident nobody was watching him, he turned back to Gadget and told him what he had just heard.

* * *

_A few minutes prior..._

Shadow had just gotten back from his run. He decided that he needed to do something to make up for killing Infinite's squad, and he had a specific plan in mind. On his way back to start planning, he happened to pass Sonic, who had a plotting look on his face. If Shadow knew anything, that meant the cobalt dolt had some dumb plan. "Faker, you're thinking. I can smell the burning dust from here. What's up?"

Sonic looked up from the table, surprised at the sudden company. "Har de har har. Very funny, Shads." Shadow bristled slightly at the nickname, but Sonic didn't notice. "I've got a plan that should be foolproof to catch Infinite."

Shadow scoffed. "I told you, Faker, it's not Infinite. The chaos signatures don't match."

"So? I wasn't even convinced that chaos signature thing was real, Tails just told me it existed and I figured I'd try to use it."

"And Tails only builds mechs on par with the Doctor himself. It's just like you to ignore something if it doesn't fall in line with your goal."

"Anyways, _Shads_ , I've got a plan that will work for sure! So, you know how Gadget hasn't been home since the 'patient' arrived? Well, I think I'm gonna go check things out, see if I can find some clues."

Shadow scoffed at this idea. "Really? Breaking and entering in somebody's apartment? I would never expect you to stoop that low, Faker."

"What? No! I wouldn't be breaking in. I'd just... _suggest_ to Gadget that he spend a night in his own bed, then I'd trail him home, so he wouldn't be able to hide any evidence before I arrived."

Shadow knew for a fact this plan had a possibility to work, but he scoffed at it all the same, to keep up an appearance. "Like I said, Faker, I could tell you were thinking when I smelled the burning dust. Let's assume for a second this **is** Infinite, and that for some reason, the chaos signatures were a false negative. Wouldn't somebody who is helping a **war criminal** , oh, I dunno, **hide the evidence?** "

"Like I said, _Shads_ , Gadget hasn't been home since the patient came in-"

"And why wouldn't he have hid any evidence **before** he came?"

"Shadow, are you on my side?"

Shadow fake-pondered, and then smirked. "Sure am, _Faker_. Just trying to let you down easy for when Gadget isn't as stupid as you thought he was."

"We'll see about that."

_We sure will_ , Shadow thought to himself as he walked to his new destination: the infirmary. If Gadget knew ahead of time, any possible loose ends could be fixed.

* * *

"And so I came straight here and got you. If **anything** is lying out in the open that implicates him, Sonic will run wild with it." Shadow finished his story and then looked wistfully at the door. "Figured our _patient_ here wouldn't want to see me, so I knocked and got Silver to get you."

Gadget pondered for a second, before a look of realization dawned on his face. "Oh Chaos, I left the mask on my floor. Thanks for the heads-up, Shadow!" He poked his head back in the door. "Hey, Silver, Zero, I'm gonna go back home for the night. I've got some cleaning to do; if our guest is right, I'll be having company."

Zero's expression was somewhere between understanding, loss, and pain, but he shook those feelings off. "Alright. You'll be back tomorrow, right?"

"Of course. _I could never stay away from you..._ " Gadget walked back into the infirmary, grabbed his bags, said his goodbyes and headed home.

* * *

As soon as Gadget got home, he picked up the mask and hid it in a trunk at the foot of his bed, under plenty of blankets. He figured Sonic wouldn't check there, since Gadget would obviously notice something was up.

Gadget had no sooner finished hiding the mask then he heard a knocking at the door. "Friendly neighborhood hedgehog, checking in?" Gadget smiled; he was just in time.

He walked to the door and let Sonic in. "Hey, Sonic. What's up?"

If Sonic had intended to hide his snooping from Gadget, he was doing a terrible job at it. He walked around the couch, looking at it from every angle. "Not much, just figured I'd check in on you. You haven't been home since the patient arrived."

Gadget blushed slightly, turning away from Sonic and staring towards the floor. "Well, I figured I deserved a night to sleep in my own bed."

Sonic seemed slightly... dejected? "Yeah, I'd say. Get a good night's rest, okay?"

"Sure thing, Sonic. Good night to you too."

Sonic walked out the door, and Gadget took the opportunity to get ready for bed.

* * *

Before Gadget could even get back to the infirmary, he was intercepted by Shadow, who was laughing his head off. "Hahahaha, you should've seen the look on his face... hahaha!"

"Shadow, what are you talking about?"

Shadow paused to regain his composure. "So, Sonic goes to your apartment, right? And he doesn't find anything, _obviously_ , since you went back and hid the evidence."

Gadget was confused. "I know that; he was in **my** apartment last night."

Shadow chuckled, before pausing for another second to recompose himself. "Yeah, whatever. He comes back and he's fuming. Like, steam from his ears mad. So I walk over to him, right?"

* * *

"So, _Faker_ , how'd your little _check-in_ go? Was I right about there not being any evidence?"

" ** _Shut up._** " Sonic was absolutely pissed.

"I told you, Faker, even if the patient was Infinite, Gadget isn't **that** stupid-"

" ** _I said 'shut up'._** " Sonic's fur began to darken, so Shadow didn't press the matter any further.

"Hmph, whatever. Good night, Faker." Shadow walked off towards his "sleeping quarters".

* * *

Shadow smiled. "I haven't seen him on the edge of Dark Sonic in years. You have to make him **really** mad to get that side of him out."

Gadget was still confused. "And you're telling me this _why_?"

Shadow shrugged. "Figured you'd want to know that you succeeded in not giving Sonic any more threads to pull." He walked away, still lightly snickering to himself.

Gadget paused, confused, before he walked into the infirmary... only to be more confused at the presence of Knuckles. "Oh... hello, Commander."

Knuckles suddenly snapped to attention; he must have been lost in thought. "Oh, hey, Gadget. Silver finally ID'd the patient; can you believe that the Ultimate Mercenary would end up in our care?"

Gadget chuckled slightly; he **had** been the first to realize that. "I can believe it."

Knuckles smiled. "Anyways, he says he has something to ask of the Resistance leaders. Silver went to go get Amy and Tails. We'd usually ask Sonic for his input, too, but he's out somewhere tearing up trails."

Gadget smiled inwardly; having Sonic involved would probably lead to hardship anyways. "Alright. I'll wait." He went and sat in his usual spot, with the chair pulled up to the bed.

Eventually, Silver emerged with Tails and Amy in tow. "Alright, we're all here."

Zero smiled, as much of a smile as he could muster. "Great. So, I've been thinking, and I've decided I want to join your army." He looked to Gadget for more strength before continuing. "Eggman's done some horrible things, and I want to make sure he gets _what he deserves_."

Knuckles thought for a second. "Hmm... how do we know this isn't a front for some crime? You _are_ a mercenary after all."

Zero smirked. "And you have a jewel thief and a former Eggman robot amongst your ranks. Do you have any room to question _my_ motives?" He laughed to himself before continuing. "But, no, I'm not planning any crimes, unless kicking Eggman's butt is a crime."

Knuckles laughed. "It's not a crime to me! I'm okay with you joining."

"Same here." Tails said. "As long as you don't break the law, I'm okay with it."

Amy smiled. "Normally, I wouldn't be so sure, but I guess if you step out of line, Knuckles'll fix you up. I'm good with it."

Silver smiled; everything was falling into place. "And that leaves the final decision to me. I'm okay with you joining, although you do still need time to heal from your injuries. When you're healed up, I'll consent."

Knuckles walked over to the bed and shook Zero's free hand. "Welcome to the team! You'll start exercises with the troops-" Silver tried to interrupt Knuckles, but the echidna kept going. "- _as soon as you're cleared._ " Silver nodded at this.

"What kind of exercises?" Zero was curious.

"Well, all soldiers are expected to participate in the basic exercises, like sparring matches and faux battles. You'll see, when you're cleared." Knuckles smiled. "Thank you for turning a new leaf."

Zero smiled back. "Thanks for the opportunity."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in case you missed the announcement on my Tumblr, updates for this fic are going to come more often now, since we're on the home stretch (I only have to write the last chapter and the epilogue, and then this fic will be 100% written out). Basically, updates are going to come on the 1st (last chapter), 8th (this chapter), and 15th (next chapter), and then a ficlet will release on the 22nd. This repeats for September (with chapter 8, 9, 10 and another ficlet), followed by the epilogue, which will release on October 1st, wrapping up this fanfiction 3 months to the day after the first chapter released (on July 1st).
> 
> I'm also going to take this opportunity to plug my [Tumblr](//nkxanp.tumblr.com) here. I recently opened up my askbox; if you want to ask me any questions about things in this universe, that's the place to do it!
> 
> Next chapter: "Some moments from the next week, which Zero spends in recovery."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting, I overslept and didn't wake up until 6 pm.

After Knuckles, Amy, and Tails left, Gadget turned to Silver. "Speaking of healing up, how much longer do you think it'll be before he's good to go?"

Silver studied some readouts from the machines before answering. "Probably about a week. We're mainly just waiting on the chest wound to heal up, then he should be right as rain."

"A week..." Zero grinned. "I can handle that."

Many things would happen during that week, far too many to mention here; so, enjoy this compilation of the important things.

* * *

It was later that night. Silver was the first to fall asleep, sprawling out from his chair across his desk. This left Gadget and Zero virtually alone, since the only other person in the room was asleep; as long as they weren't too loud, they could talk about whatever.

At first, nothing seemed different from any other night. Gadget sat next to the bed, and Zero laid in the bed, and they didn't talk much. They were holding hands at this moment, and it was clear that one of them was going to break the silence.

It ended up being Gadget. "I can't believe it. You're really going to be okay. You're really back."

"Yeah. I'm surprised, too, but it's good to know I'll be okay."

"It's just... for a second there I really thought I had lost you forever..."

"Shh... it's okay."

"Living without you was so hard... I was so depressed-"

Zero quickly silenced Gadget by pulling him into a kiss. When they finally broke the kiss, Zero spoke in a hushed voice. "I'm here now. And I'll be with you until the end of my days."

Gadget shed a tear. "I won't let them take you away from me. I made that mistake already."

Zero held him close. "And I won't let anyone hurt you."

They fell asleep in a loving embrace. Unbeknownst to them, a certain sterling hedgehog smirked from his position on the desk, not as asleep as he had seemed.

Those two were such dorks.

* * *

Later that week, Shadow and Silver were sitting at the desk, just chatting about things while Gadget and Zero slept. Shadow was often out on missions and doing reconnaissance, so he wasn't around much. When he was, he and Silver would talk about things, most of the time; Silver could just relate to Shadow's loneliness on a personal level, being from the future and all. 

However, unlike their normal discussions, which were about life or whatever either felt like talking about at the moment, this conversation had a specific topic in mind.

"Those two are totally in love with each other." Silver had just finished telling Shadow about what he had seen a few nights ago. "I mean, I may be naive, but you'd have to be damn near blind to miss it!"

"Yeah, no kidding." Shadow was astounded. "Did they even bother to see if you were asleep?"

"Nope! I guess I just sold it well enough, they just figured I was out cold."

"Huh." Shadow scratched his head. "I mean, I could kinda tell they were in love before you told me that. Just the way they interact, the vibe they put off, I could tell." He jokingly jabbed Silver in the shoulder. "Hey, at least we aren't that obvious, right?"

Silver blushed. "...Yeah."

Shadow smirked. "Anyways, Inf-" He stopped himself, remembering Infinite's real name. "Zero's been on a normal sleep schedule for a while, yeah?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah, for about 4 days now."

"And he hasn't tried to hurt anybody?"

"Well, I mean, he's still got the chest injury-"

"You don't need an intact chest to jump out of the bed and claw someone half to death, do you?"

Silver thought about it for a second. "...Fair. No, he hasn't attacked anybody yet."

"Then maybe Gadget's plan is working?"

Silver shook his head. "I wouldn't say that just yet. First, he has to fight alongside Sonic." Shadow looked at him, confused, so Silver continued. "Think about it. You and Sonic became friends after the both of you took out the Finalhazard, or so I've been told."

Shadow nodded. "Yeah, that's what we did. Although I did have that whole period of 'being in a capsule locked away' to deal with."

"Fair. And I became friends with Sonic after the three of us took down Solaris."

Shadow thought about it for a second, before realizing Silver was right. "True. So what you're saying is that he'll need to fight some battles on Sonic's side before Sonic can trust him and be friends with him?"

"Pretty much." Silver paused for a second. "Am I wrong?"

"No, no, you're right." Shadow thought some more. "I just hope that we won't have too many battles to fight."

"Well, Eggman is still MIA. Unless there's some other evil genius who wants our backs, we shouldn't have to worry about a threat on that level."

"Thank Chaos for that. I could use a little more of this break, but it _could_ come to an end at any time."

Suddenly, Shadow and Silver heard a groan from the chair next to the bed. "...Shadow? Silver? What are you guys talking about?"

Silver froze, not sure how to respond. Luckily, Shadow hopped in. "We were discussing the sparring setup. As you know, every soldier has a sparring partner. Since you were the odd soldier out last time we took in some new recruits, you get to pick your partner. I take it you want Zero to be your sparring partner?"

Gadget blushed slightly. "...Yeah, sure thing."

Shadow and Silver shared a knowing look, before Shadow responded. "Alright, I'll tell Knuckles in the morning."

Sensing that Gadget had fallen back asleep, Shadow got up to leave, but not before blowing Silver a kiss.

It was fun to tease the sterling hedgehog.

* * *

Later that week, everybody was sitting around. Suddenly, Sonic came bursting through the door triumphantly. His eyes darted around until he found his target; he walked right up to Zero.

The next three words that came out of his mouth were... unexpected, to say the least. "Are you Infinite?"

Zero, who the question was directed to, paused for a second. "Uhh... no?"

After a second of awkward silence, Silver burst out into laughter. "... **That** was your latest plan? 'Oh, I'll just walk up to him and **ASK HIM**!' That's hilarious!"

Sonic was hurt. "But you said you weren't sure he could remember his name!"

Silver stopped laughing for a second. "Yeah, like, a week ago! He's been fully awake for at _least_ 5 days now!" He chuckled a bit more. "Besides, even if he couldn't remember his name, who would _willingly_ admit to being _a war criminal?!_ "

Sonic left the room, dejected.

Zero smirked. "Yeah, who would willingly admit to being a war criminal? That doesn't seem like it would end well..."

* * *

That morning, Shadow walked around the base until he found Knuckles. "Hey, Knuckles! I need to ask you a favor."

Knuckles seemed confused. "You? Ask **me** a favor? What do you want?"

"Well, you know how we're going to have the new recruits start sparring at the end of the week?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Gadget wanted to know if you could put him and Zero together."

"...I mean, sure? There were an odd number of new recruits anyways."

"Plus, last time, he got stuck as the odd one out. I figure he should get to choose his sparring partner."

"True." Knuckles adjusted his papers. "Alright, Gadget can spar with Zero."

Shadow nodded. "Good. I'll let him know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Gadget and Zero will spar... I wonder how that might turn out. Well, I don't have to wonder, since that'll be the topic of _Love, Not War_ , this month's ficlet, which I'll post on August 22nd.
> 
> Next chapter: "A new foe emerges and attacks. Perhaps, Zero can redeem himself in the eyes of our cobalt Cassandra?"


	8. Chapter 8

"All hands on deck! This is not a drill!"

Welp, here it was. The time was now. Zero had been medically cleared, and even got to spar with Gadget once, but now it was the real deal. This was no faux battle, there was a real threat, and Zero was going to help the Resistance fight through it.

He picked up his Resistance-issue Burst Wispon and headed out towards the battlefield. On the way, they were briefed by Knuckles. "So, we don't have much intel on this threat. We know he's a platypus, he goes by 'Doctor Starline'. He's got some sort of gem on his glove; no, we don't know what the deal is with that. He's got robots, we assume, since every doctor we've ever fought has robots. We don't know how strong his robots are, but we can assume the worst. Our job is to get in there and get him away from the main population center."

Knuckles continued to ramble, but Zero didn't really pay any attention to it. This was it, his first real battle experience as himself in around 8 months, and his first battle since he lost... his... squad.

He shook the tears out of his eyes; right now, his new friends needed him, and he wasn't going to let them down ( ~~like he did his old squad~~ ). He was going to defend the city, just like everyone else.

Soon, they got to a clearing, and everybody got out and got ready to fight. Suddenly, a wave of robots approached, quickly hemming them in from all sides.

From the front of the battle, standing on what seemed to be a parapet, a white and grey platypus emerged, looking like he just stepped off the set of "Thriller".

"I am Doctor Starline, and I believe I will be the cause of your troubles for many a time to come. As you can see, I've captured you all in a manner of seconds, despite not knowing your starting location. Now that you're here, I can find your base, and next time, I'll bring the fight to you; or I would, if there would be a next time. Unfortunately, I believe this is the end of the line."

Zero groaned; this platypus was more talkative than the Doctor himself. Zero may not have many memories from during the war, but even before the incident at Mystic Jungle, Eggman would sometimes monologue for hours about his plans: what he was going to do with the Phantom Ruby, how he was going to defeat Sonic, et cetera.

"Even if you could manage an escape, which is highly unlikely, I've got a plan that will bring your little _Resistance_ to an end. It's all a shame, really; I've got this great whole plan and I probably won't even have to use it."

He continued to ramble for a while, and Zero looked his Burst Wispon over. He remembered that it had a special technique; something about firing a compressed blast strong enough to shoot through the air. Could it possibly have another use?

As Starline continued rambling, Zero snuck around the area they were trapped in, and managed to find a capsule of Red Wisps. _Perfect._ He snuck back over to Sonic and poked him, almost scaring the blue hedgehog right out of his trademark shoes. " _What?_ "

Zero pointed at his Wispon and then the robots nearest to them. " _I'm gonna blow a hole in the robots and open an escape route._ "

" _Are you crazy? That's not going to work!_ "

" _You never know until you try._ "

Sonic sighed; Infinite or not, this jackal was going to be the death of him. " _Alright, fine. But if this doesn't work, I'm blaming you._ "

" _Fair._ " He turned to the robots.

"...So, as you can see, I have you cornered. Any last words?"

Zero smirked, before releasing a charged shot at the robots near the back of the form. "Yeah. **RETREAT!** "

Before Starline could even react, the soldiers flooded out of the hole Zero had opened in his defenses. "Damned jackal and his... **squad**. I'll beat them soon, _they'll just have to wait._ "

* * *

Later that day, they were relaxing in the mess hall when Sonic came up to Zero, obviously joking around. "This is your new home. Do not resist; you'll just hurt yourself."

Zero smirked. " _Well, what if that's my plan-_ " All together, Zero immediately realized what Sonic was doing and shut his mouth abruptly.

Sonic pointed at him. "Ha! I finally got you! There's no way you could've responded that way unless you were there, and the only people who were there were me, Eggman, and _Infinite_. I'm me, and you're _definitely_ not Egghead, so you **_must be Infinite_**!"

People's heads were starting to turn, and Zero knew he'd need to say something to save face. "You've spent all this time trying to ' _expose me_ ' as Infinite; have you even stopped for a second to consider Infinite _might not even have been real_?"

Sonic was intrigued. "What? That's nonsense-"

"Is it? _Is it?_ The Phantom Ruby creates illusions, doesn't it? What's to say it didn't create an illusion of a black jackal carrying it around?! All this time you've been trying to _expose me_ , but you've really just been projecting your revenge motive against Infinite on me. Imagine that; the very first black jackal you see who might _possibly_ have unresolved ends in his story shows up, gives you an inch with maybe one or two things that don't make sense, and you go a country mile and make him Infinite! I feel bad for you, I really do; whatever this Infinite did to you must have been **_torture_** , if you're willing to project a revenge motive on some random stranger who just so happens to resemble him!"

Sonic was speechless. Even though he hated to admit it, the jackal had a point. All of this time, he'd been looking for revenge against Infinite, but what if Infinite had never been real? Come to think of it, Infinite had died following the battle; at least, that was what everyone had decided was the truth. And yet, here the jackal- Sonic thought he heard Silver call him "Zero", maybe that was his name- here Zero was, very much not dead. Sure, he had a chest wound, but who's to say that wound wasn't caused by a gunshot? Egghead's robots can be quite nasty; Sonic knew that all too well.

Silver stood up and walked towards the pair. "Besides, even if he was Infinite, he just saved our lives back there. Not only does that not sound like Infinite, it would probably be grounds for a lesser sentence."

Knuckles stepped up. "Yeah, I gotta agree with Silver. That doesn't really sound like Infinite, and saving our lives would totally get him some leniency, if he was."

So that meant the death penalty was out of the question. Dang.

Suddenly, Tails burst through the door. "Uh, guys? I've got some news about Starline, and it's not looking good."

So much for a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally meet our new foe: Doctor Starline. I don't have much to say about him; he's fun to imagine, and it gives me an excuse to monologue at a mirror.
> 
> Next chapter: "The beginning of the end of the story, I'm afraid..."


	9. Chapter 9

Everybody was sat around the table, as Tails showed a presentation on the main screen.

"So his plan is apparently two-fold. He wants to bring back Eggman, which, according to his files, he's managed, and then he wants to catch us when our guard is down."

Everybody took a few seconds to absorb both what Tails said and what the presentation showed. Sonic was the first to speak. "Well, we need to come up with a counterplan, obviously. Last time we rushed in without one, Zero had to bail us out. With both Doctors, he might not be able to."

After a few minutes of thought, Knuckles spoke up. "I've got it. Let's make it seem like we're spinning down the military stuff, to play into what he thinks he knows about us; we'll hold exercises at night or inside. Meanwhile, we'll build sniper towers outside, so when the fight comes to us, the snipers can take out badniks while the ground forces push back against the attack."

Suddenly, the gathered leaders heard a scoff from the doorway. They looked over to see Zero, just leaning against the doorframe, like he was supposed to be there.

Knuckles was the first to speak up. "Why are you here?"

Zero shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

"Okay, but you're not supposed to be here."

"If we're being technical here, I'm not supposed to be alive." Zero walked into the room, making full eye contact with Knuckles as he proceeded. "I'm used to doing things I'm not supposed to."

Sonic could see Knuckles was about to jump out of his seat, so he decided to interrupt the argument before it went too far. "Alright. But why did you scoff at the plan? It seems pretty sound to me."

Zero paused for a second, pondering how to phrase it. "Well, Doctor Eggman has an IQ of 300, right? We don't know Starline's IQ, but it must be pretty high since he was able to trap us so easily."

"I'm following you still."

"So they'd know something is up when we're simultaneously spinning down exercises **and** building sniper towers, right?"

"...Okay, but they could just be observation towers. They don't have to be for snipers, necessarily."

Zero could tell it wasn't clicking, so he tried another direction. "Alright, but how do we know the information Tails got is accurate? Clearly, two smart scientists would be better at keeping their plans secret? If you ask me, this all seems like a ruse."

Knuckles suddenly stood up. "Well, nobody asked you. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got planning to do."

Zero simply turned on his heels and walked to the door; however, he stopped in the doorframe and offered one last statement over his shoulder.

"Mark my words: _this won't work._ "

Knuckles' eyes lingered on the door a few seconds after Zero left. Soon, however, he turned back to the table. "As I was saying..."

* * *

The Resistance immediately implemented Knuckles' plan without delay, building towers and "spinning down" exercises (in reality, moving them inside or holding them at night).

All the while, the date of the big battle loomed large.

Maybe Knuckles' plan would work out? Zero doubted it; not only had Operation Big Wave been a complete and unmitigated disaster, but Zero knew Eggman well. The Doctor was always three steps ahead of the heroes, and that was with him working alone.

With the added help of Doctor Starline's strategic mind?

Forget it.

Zero knew that the only way to throw Eggman and Starline off their groove would be to do what the Resistance had done near the end of the war to great success: be unpredictable. If they could do something that was entirely out of the realm of expectation, something that neither doctor would ever see coming in a million years, they could win this.

And Zero knew exactly what he needed to do.

His first order of business would be modding his Wispon. Using the Burst Wispon's secondary ability to blast a hole in Starline's defenses had worked well enough, but in order for this plan to work, Zero needed a little more power.

And by a little, he meant a lot.

* * *

Zero walked the corridor, looking for Gadget's workshop. Sure enough, he found it easily, and walked in.

Gadget was sitting at the desk, and he turned around as Zero walked in. "Oh, hey, Zero. What's up?"

Zero looked around to make sure nobody was watching him. "I need a little favor."

"Oh, sure, anything!"

Zero checked his surroundings again, before closing the door; one could never be too sure. "I was wondering if you could mod my Burst Wispon."

Gadget wasn't sure why Zero had to shut the door but trusted him regardless. "What did you have in mind?"

Zero told Gadget his whole plan, starting at the exposition about Knuckles' plan and ending with his decision on what he was going to do. "And so I came here to ask you to mod my Burst Wispon. I just need more... _ooomph_ in my burst shot. The energy it has is plenty for getting me up off the ground, but I need to be able to destroy things with it."

Gadget looked over the Burst Wispon schematics, humming and hah-ing as he thought through it. "Hmm... maybe if I increase the chamber size so it takes two Wisps... and then I took a little more Hyper-go-on from each of the Wisps... that might work, or maybe..." He grabbed Zero's Burst Wispon and put it on the table, taking it apart as he continued looking at the schematic. "That might be dangerous to the Wisps... looking at the Hyper-go-on extractor, I can probably fit a third Wisp in there..."

* * *

A lot of humming and hah-ing later, Gadget picked the newly-modified Burst Wispon off the counter and offered it to Zero, showing him the new changes. "It takes three Red Wisps when it does the secondary ability, so you'll run out of Wisps three times as fast, _but_ it should be three times as powerful." Gadget pulled out a Wispon testing target that looked like it had seen much better days. "Give it a whirl."

Zero went out, found some Red Wisps, and came back. He took aim at the target-- like he had when he opened the escape route from Starline's grasp-- and fired. Where there once was a Wispon target, there now was a smoldering mess. "Well, looks like I put that one out of its misery."

Gadget seemed vaguely concerned. "Oh, I can dial it down if you want-"

"No." Zero smiled devilishly. " _This is perfect._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, I wonder what's going to happen next? I mean, I know what happens next, obviously, since I wrote it, but the point still stands. I guess the next chapter teaser may be a bit of a spoiler, but they all are, in a way.
> 
> I'm currently trying to balance Infidget Week and these pre-written chapters, which is... fun, to say the least. Chapter 10 will come out on the 15th, then _In Control_ on the 22nd, and then finally the Epilogue will come out October 1st. Here's to hoping I can manage this and not have a complete meltdown.
> 
> Next chapter: "Guess who's playing Cassandra now?"


	10. Chapter 10

The day of the battle approached. Zero knew, deep down, that he was right; the question in his mind wasn't if he'd be proven right, but when.

Everybody got to their battlestations early. The snipers were up in the towers, the ground soldiers had their Wispons at the ready, everybody was set to go. Sure enough, right on time, Doctors Eggman and Starline arrived with a fleet of badniks to begin the battle.

Starline spoke up first. "Ah, hello. I'd like you all to meet a friend of mine." He gestured to Eggman, who was standing next to him. "Remember this old man?"

"Hey!" Eggman seemed oddly hurt. "Who are you calling an old man?"

Starline ignored him. "I found him and brought him back here. With our combined prowess, you cannot win. Robots, attack!"

The badniks charged the heroes. At first, all seemed to go well. Zero, Gadget, and the rest of the Resistance forces were destroying the robots as usual. Zero, in particular, made sure to avoid using his supercharged blast attack; he was saving it for later, although he hoped he wouldn't need to use it. With the help of the snipers in the towers, they were easily handling the badniks.

And then most of the badniks swarmed the sniper towers. There were more than enough badniks to keep the main contingent busy, but all the same there seemed to be even more badniks attacking the sniper towers. With the snipers busy keeping the badniks out of their towers, it suddenly became a bit harder to keep the badniks at bay on the ground.

Starline spoke up again. "What do you know? I was _right_. You cannot defeat our combined prowess."

Tails spoke up, slashing a badnik into pieces as he did so. "But the intel-"

"-was false. I knew that if I left a piece of information about, you'd snap it up and try and use it against me."

Zero smirked. "I don't _want_ to say 'I told you so', but I'm _fairly certain I_ _told you so!_ **"

Starline smirked. "Your jackal friend is smarter than you give him credit for." He returned to his usual tone. "Our plans were to get you to spin down activity entirely. Clearly, that failed, but we still have the upper hand."

Zero suddenly smirked and started charging a blast attack. He leveled the Wispon at Starline and Eggman. 

Sonic was the first to speak up. "Zero, what are you doing?"

Zero was almost deadpan. "It's simple, really; aim for the head, and the body will follow. In this case, aim for the _heads_..."

Starline was panicked. "Bots! Attack him!" All the bots immediately dropped what they had been doing and attempted to swarm Zero.

 _Attempted_ being the key word.

With Gadget and the other Resistance soldiers forming a ring around Zero (including the snipers once they got down from the towers), they kept all the badniks at bay. Meanwhile, the shot kept charging and charging. Gadget knew he hadn't built the Wispon to take this much energy in one blast, but at the same time, he knew the Wispon was resilient and wouldn't fall apart. It just kept charging and charging. More Wisps flew in from the sidelines of the battle, overloading the chamber with Hyper-go-on energy. Still, the Wispon kept charging and charging.

Finally, Eggman and Starline had seen enough. Starline called out over his shoulder as he and Eggman flew off in the Eggmobile. "Retreat!"

Zero finally let off the blast shot, which went right underneath the Eggmobile, melting off the bottom.

Eggman looked over his shoulder. "Ha! You missed!"

Zero smirked, arching an eyebrow. "Did I?"

At that very moment, the hover mechanism keeping the Eggmobile in the sky failed, due to, you know, half of it having been melted off. The Resistance soldiers swarmed the downed Eggmobile and quickly took away the Doctors' tech, arresting them.

The War to Take Back the Planet was finally over, and all of its loose ends tied up, for better or for worse.

* * *

Later on, the soldiers were gathered into the cafeteria to hear Knuckles give a speech.

Zero walked around the cafeteria, looking for somebody. After walking around the entire cafeteria, he smirked when he found his target: Sonic himself. "By the way, since I've saved your butt twice now, I figure you deserve the satisfaction. Congrats, you were right. I was Infinite the whole time. But people change. I've changed. And I hope you can accept that."

Sonic blinked. "Are you kidding me? You save the Resistance from certain doom twice in the span of a month, and you expect me to want your head on a platter?" He slapped Zero's back, earning a grimace from the jackal. "As far as I'm concerned, the past can stay in the past. For now, let's celebrate."

Knuckles took his place at the podium, and cleared his throat. "Well, soldiers, after these many long months of fighting, we have finally emerged victorious! Doctor Eggman will stand trial for his crimes against Mobius." The soldiers cheered, and Knuckles waited for them to quiet down before continuing. "We've fought very hard, and we will soon see our reward, but after some thought, we've decided to give ourselves an extra reward. Tomorrow, we will have a party to celebrate this momentous occasion."

This time, the cheers were even louder. A party? In the square? Everybody was happy.

"It will have a dance floor and a full bar." Knuckles went off-script slightly. "...but most of us are children... Bah, who cares? We'll party in the square! The war is finally behind us!"

The resulting cheers probably could have been heard on the other side of Mobius.

Zero left his original spot next to Sonic and went to go find Gadget. When he did, they hugged each other tightly. The war was finally over. Sure, there was the issue of what the Resistance would do about him being Infinite, but something told Zero that that issue could wait. For right now, the danger was gone, the crisis was averted. They had each other, and that was enough.

They could sleep peacefully, not knowing what the future may bring, but knowing they would face it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends the main story, as well as... my entire backlog. Welp. Good thing I included the oneshots, since I now have 2 weeks instead of just 1 to write the epilogue.
> 
> Next chapter: "The celebration, as well as setting some things up for any follow-up oneshots I decide to do."


	11. Epilogue

True to Knuckles' word, the next day, the Resistance threw a huge party. There was a DJ, a dance floor, and best of all, a full bar. Gadget and Zero (being 2 of the only 4 legal adults, although everyone was allowed to have drinks from the bar) got drunk, obviously, and went off into the woods to go make out. Meanwhile, Sonic was at the bar, drowning what little of his sorrows remained in alcohol. He had already resolved his issue with Zero being Infinite; the man responsible for making Zero Infinite would soon be behind bars, and nothing could be done to change the past.

* * *

The next day, the Resistance held war crime tribunals. First on the docket was Zero; he was charged with 23 separate counts of assorted war crimes, as well as obstruction of justice and perjury. On all counts, he was found guilty, but he was sentenced to community service with credit to time served, effectively making him free (as long as he continued to work for the Resistance).

Eggman, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He was charged with counts of being a jerk, as well as all of the war crimes Zero committed as Infinite _and more_. It didn't even take the tribunal 2 minutes to find him guilty on all counts and sentence him to life behind bars.

Starline was an interesting case. In all technicalities, he hadn't really committed any war crimes. He had attacked the Resistance near the end of the war, sure, and he had worked with Eggman, but there were some people in the Resistance who thought he shouldn't have been tried. Still, the tribunal insisted he be tried, and so he was. He was found guilty (of course), but because he hadn't committed war crimes, they sentenced him to 3 months behind bars. As they dragged him to the jail, he swore revenge on those who wronged him.

* * *

After the war tribunals, the Resistance reorganized. From now on, they'd be the Restoration: committed to keeping the peace they fought for as the Resistance, as well as trying to restore the world to its former state pre-war. Admittedly that task would be easier said than done; after all, most of the government structure had been destroyed to make way for the Empire.

It would take a while, but thanks to Zero, they had a while to take.

~ FIN ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends my first long-form fanfic. It's been a wild ride and I've been glad to share it with you all.
> 
> I started writing the first chapter of what would become The Scars Of Love And War in around May. Around 10 thousand words and several months later, it's finally complete. I plan to write some more oneshots, but the main body of work is complete.
> 
> I'd like to take this moment at the end to plug my [website](https://nkxanp.us.to) and my [Tumblr](https://nkxanp.tumblr.com).


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